Laduri names
Laduri is a conlang and a fictitious ethnic group created by Chechensichkeria. It is still a work in progress. Background Laduri (Laduri: ЛIадуврас маьацIи, lit. "language of the mountain peaks"; Russian: Чеджский язык) is a Northeast Caucasian language and the native language of the Laduri (Chedzh) people of western Dagestan. It is a Western Tsezic (Didoic) language related to Tsez (Dido), Khvarshi, and Hunzib. Etymology The native Laduri name for the language is ЛIадуврас маьацIи, translit.'' L’aduwras ma’ac’i'' (IPA pronunciation: maʼat͡sʼi), while the Russian name for the Laduri language is Чеджский язык, translit. Chedzhskiy yazik. The Laduri endonym, ЛIадувърес (L’aduw’res), literally means "people of the summit" and is derived from Laduri лIадувада (tladuwada) meaning "(mountain) peak, summit", itself a combination of лIадуал (tladual) "mountain, hill" and адан (adan) "top" or "high". This is a reflection of the Laduri traditionally inhabiting the highest points of the Caucasus Mountains. The Russian name, Чеджы (Chedzhy), is taken from the name of the village (aul) of Chedzha (Laduri: ЧIажь; Russian: Чеджа) in the Tsuntinsky District of western Dagestan. This name was selected as the village was the first location the Russians initially encountered the Laduri people in the 18th century. Culture & Religion The Laduri constitute one of the 40+ ethnic groups indigenous to the modern-day Republic of Dagestan located in southern Russia. They mainly inhabit the western and southern regions of Dagestan, with their closest neighbours being the Avars. The areas natively inhabited by the Laduri are collectively referred to as "Laduristan", in part derived from the Persian topographical suffix ''-ستان (-stân)'' meaning "land of, place of". Most Laduri are now categorised as "Avars" in Russian censuses, therefore leaving the total population today unknown (most estimates approximate just ~1,000-2,000 ethnic Laduri left). As a result of assimilation into the more dominant Avar culture, the Laduri have also begun to adopt the Avar language as their native tongue continues to decline in usage and die out. Avar also serves as the literary language for Laduri, as with other Tsezic languages. Laduri was solely spoken and never written until the arrival of Islam through Arabian traders (during which time the Arabic alphabet was adopted) and the Russian conquest of the Caucasus (in which Cyrillic, the current writing system, was introduced). Russian is also commonly spoken by the Laduri primarily for business and everyday speech, as their native language lacks most technical terminology. Laduri, in turn, is mainly reserved for the home and among family members. Laduri is divided into two major dialects: Adibali (ГIадибаьлъи; "lowland language") and Tladawbali (ЛIадаубьлъи; "highland language"). As they inhabited the highest regions of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, the Laduri have developed their own unique culture and language separate from other neighbouring ethnic groups. Laduri society was traditional egalitarian with no gender distinctions or hierarchical systems, unlike the kin/clan designations utilised by other Dagestani ethnicities. Similar to other Caucasian peoples, the Laduri possessed their own native faith, which continues to be practised today in a syncretic blend with Islamic tradition. The Laduri pagan religion is natively animistic and polytheistic, with worship of nature-inspired deities (manifested from animals and plants, with the most revered animal being the mountain goat) constituting its core beliefs. Laduri gods and goddesses were believed to reside atop the Caucasus Mountains; therefore, the people believed they were the closest and most connected to their deities due to their high-altitude civilisation. Numerous shrines and abodes of varying styles were dedicated to these gods — they could range from being elaborate carvings on the mountainsides to simple stone altars. The Laduri remained relatively isolated from outside influences due to their difficult mountainous terrain, and so early Orthodox Christian missionaries from Georgia (who influenced the Avars and western Dagestan for a short period in the 13th-century) never reached Laduri territory. Islam finally penetrated Laduri grounds in the 16th-17th centuries (much later than other ethnic groups) as some Laduri began to migrate to the fertile lowlands from the mountaintops. The Laduri accepted Islam as their new religion while retaining specific aspects of the indigenous faith. Category:Chechensichkeria